


Can a Sponge and Octopus Overcome Tragedy?

by Sandersedge



Series: The Life and Times of SquidBob [6]
Category: SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon)
Genre: Anniversary, Birth Control, Emotions, Loss, M/M, Miscarriage, Sex Toys, Therapy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:35:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28300962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandersedge/pseuds/Sandersedge
Summary: SpongeBob and Squidward get a unexpected surprise after their one year anniversary celebration which sends them on a rollercoaster of emotions.
Relationships: SpongeBob SquarePants/Squidward Tentacles
Series: The Life and Times of SquidBob [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978231
Kudos: 15





	1. The Anniversary Surprise

Toys were now becoming the norm for SpongeBob and Squidward. Almost every time they’d mate, they’d pull out a toy to use which would not only heighten the pleasure, but also save Squidward’s mating arm from becoming worn out. 

SpongeBob had also lost all the reservations he once had about masturbation as well. Whenever he was feeling frisky and Squidward was either at work or just not around, he could pull out something from his now impressive collection and take care of business. 

The couple would also have nights where they didn’t really feel like mating, but would instead resort to mutual masturbation. Squidward would set up at one end of the bed and SpongeBob at the other. They’d then watch each other as they gratified themselves. While it seemed a bit strange, the couple loved doing it and it even helped them identify pleasure zones on each other’s bodies. 

The pair’s anniversary was quickly approaching and SpongeBob wanted to surprise his husband with a naughty gift. He’d scoured the internet trying to find the perfect one, and after hours upon hours of looking he finally found it. 

Simply called the V1, it was a medium sized cylinder that SpongeBob would insert deep into his core. When he got it, he did some experimenting to see exactly how it worked and could be prepared for his night with his partner. Essentially, what it did was turn the sponge into a vibrator himself, causing pulses and waves to shoot out in any number of patterns that would enhance the sensation for both of them. 

It was all controlled via a remote too, which made it easy to adjust on the fly. SpongeBob figured he’d give Squidward the remote and tell him to try it out. He knew his partner would be confused at first, but would quickly see how much it shook his spongy body. 

The only downside to the toy was that it was difficult to remove. Unlike the other toys, this wasn’t simply something inserted into his oscula. Instead, he slid it into a pore on the side of body and made sure it was situated somewhere in the middle of him. 

On the night of their one-year anniversary, the couple shipped little Claire off to Grandma and Grandpa SquarePants so they could enjoy an evening alone. It started with a nice meal that the two cooked together, something they both enjoyed but never had the time for. While SpongeBob flipped the Kelp Chops in the skillet, Squidward worked to put together a nice salad and a pasta side dish. It wasn’t overly fancy, but for the two of them, it was perfect. 

After dinner, Squidward excused himself and moments later brought in a wrapped box from the garage. SpongeBob looked at it with wide eyes. They’d said they weren’t going to do gifts, and the sponge didn’t expect anything, but was happy all the same to be getting something. 

“What is it?” SpongeBob said while staring at the sparkly wrapping paper. 

“Open it,” Squidward motioned for his partner to get on with it. 

SpongeBob quickly tore off the paper and was greeted with a white box. He carefully removed the lip and let out another gasp. Tucked into the tissue paper was a new pair of jellyfishing glasses. However, they weren’t any ordinary glasses, they were the JellyMaster Deluxe Glasses. Capable of offering superior protection, they also had a built in augmented reality that would show all sorts of information to catch the biggest jellies around...or at least that is what the box had said. 

They’d cost Squidward a small fortune too. At nearly $1,000, he’d been saving for months to get them. He’d seen his partner admire them again and again every time he read through one of his fishing magazines. Also, it was something he and Patrick never shut up about either when the subject of jellyfishing came up. 

“Oh my goodness,” SpongeBob was near speechless. “H-How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” Squidward smiled. 

“Thank you so much my love,” SpongeBob sniffled away some tears. “This is the third best gift I’ve ever received.”

“Third?” Squidward was confused. 

“Yes,” a tear rolled down Squidward’s cheek. “Claire is first, you’re second, and these are third.”

“Well I guess these can’t compare to me or Claire Bear,” Squidward chuckled. 

“Oh wait!” SpongeBob sprang up from his seat and darted to the closet. 

“I thought we said no gifts?” Squidward smirked as his partner entered the room carrying a box of his own. 

“Hey you did it first,” SpongeBob grinned as he handed over the box to Squidward. 

Squidward opened the lid and picked up the note inside:

_Salutation My Good Squidward,_

_Your little sponge told me how you played the song I wrote for your wedding while he was in the hospital. I figured you might like your own personal copy of it professionally recorded so the two of your can dance to it. Also, I’ve included a copy of my unreleased upcoming album for you to check out. It’s autographed too._

_Peace and Love,  
Kelpy G_

“SpongeBob,” Squidward tentacles were shaking with excitement. “H-How d-did...how did you get this?”

“I have my secrets,” SpongeBob turned bright red. In truth, he’d spent a fortune securing studio time for Kelpy G to play the song. It didn’t matter though, it was a small price to pay for Squidward’s happiness. 

“Well whatever you did,” Squidward looked on the verge of tears himself. “Thank you.”

“I have one more thing for you too,” SpongeBob let a sly smile draw across his face. “You need to come upstairs though.”

“Oh do I now,” Squidward chuckled and followed his partner to the bedroom. 

Once there, SpongeBob handed over the remote to Squidward who took it. It wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when the sponge had asked him to come up to their room. 

“So is this like a TV remote or something?” Squidward turned the remote over in his tentacle. 

“Push the green button,” SpongeBob said. 

Squidward did as he was told and pressed down on the button, but nothing happened. He furrowed his brow and looked up at SpongeBob who was now shaking. Squidward then twisted the dial and watched his partner’s vibrations change in conjunction with the dial. Then it finally hit him. 

“It’s a toy that turns me in a vibrator Squiddy!” SpongeBob said with his shaking voice. 

“Well I’ll be,” Squidward pressed the button again to turn the device off. “So...should we try it out now?”

“Yes please!” SpongeBob shouted and ripped his clothes off in one quick motion. 

Since they’d both been anticipating this all day, it only took a few minutes before they were both ready to go. SpongeBob was leaking fluid, making his spongy skin nice and slick while Squidward’s mating arm was growing harder and harder by the second. 

“Get the remote,” SpongeBob moaned in between kisses. 

Squidward was all too happy to obliged and snatched the remote from the night stand. However, before engaging the device he aligned himself with his partner’s opening and slid in gently, eliciting a soft groan from the sponge.  
“O-on,” SpongeBob squeaked.

Squidward pressed the green button and turned the dial to 3. The vibrations started immediately and caught the octopus off guard, even though he knew what was about to happen. It felt wonderful and his entire mating arm was enveloped with the buzzing sponge. 

“Oh Neptune,” Squidward grunted. “This feels amazing!” 

SpongeBob tried to reply but between the vibrations and the overwhelming sensation, he couldn’t get anything out. All he could do was grab his partner and pull him close as the octopus worked his arm in and out. 

The feeling of the jittering sponge quickly brought Squidward to his climax too. They’d only been going at it for a few minutes, but he couldn’t hold back any longer. With a bellow, his face contorted and he dumped his load deep into SpongeBob.

“Sorry,” Squidward said, removing his mating arm. “That was a bit much.”

“A-a-again,” the shaking SpongeBob managed to get out. 

Squidward laid on his back and offered up his still erect mating arm to the sponge. SpongeBob didn’t ride him often, but Squidward felt tired and clearly his partner still had plenty of pent up energy. 

SpongeBob was all too happy to crawl on top of his mate, although it took several attempts and a helpful tentacle to get him into position. The sponge did his best to align his oscula with his partner's waiting mating arm, but every that took two or three attempts before the two were conjoined. 

Once inside, Squidward put his tentacles on SpongeBob’s hips and helped get him into a rhythm. Within a few thrusts, the pair were in sync and SpongeBob rotated his shaking body to work Squidward’s member. To add a bit of extra pleasure for the both of them, Squidward flexed his appendage and firmly attached his suction cups to the interior wall of his partner. 

This act sent a huge shockwave through Squidward. He hadn’t quite realized that putting that much contact on SpongeBob would result in strong vibrations. While it was a bit overwhelming, it was a sensation he could live with. 

“Ugh,” SpongeBob groaned as he continued to ride Squidward up until the point he felt his own orgasm starting to build. 

“Ride it baby,” Squidward offered some encouraging words to his partner. 

“G-g-gah cum,” SpongeBob croaked and he started to shake even more violently than the toy inside him was jostling him. Then, within an instance, a white cloud poofed from the sponge coating both him and Squidward in a layer of semen. 

“Oh barnacles!” Squidward shouted as he released his second load into the sponge. The simple act of watching his partner ejaculate had been too much for him to handle. 

“O-of-off,” SpongeBob managed to get out as he fell off Squidward writhing in ecstasy. 

Squidward fumbled with the remote and eventually got the device to turn off. SpongeBob went still and softly moaned as he was enjoying his post coital bliss. Fluid was still running out of his pores and Squidward didn’t know if it was his own, his partner’s, or a mixture of the two. Either way he made a note that he’d need to change the sheets when SpongeBob went to use the bathroom. 

“So?” Squidward looked down at SpongeBob.

“Amazing,” SpongeBob was rubbing his body. “You must have liked it too, I’m so full right now and need to be wrung out.” 

“Well be sure to wring out in the tub or something,” Squidward joked. “We don’t need you to paint the walls of the bathroom with our genetic material.” 

“Of course,” SpongeBob flashed a dopey smile. “I love you and happy anniversary.”

“I love you too,” Squidward kissed SpongeBob. “And happy anniversary.”


	2. Just a Stomach Bug, Right?

Days after their anniversary, SpongeBob was all set to go jellyfishing with Patrick. He was anxious to try out his new glasses that Squidward had bought him. However, when he awoke that morning, something felt off. 

“Oh tartar sauce,” SpongeBob rubbed his head. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” 

“Too much ice cream?” Squidward asked as he was getting ready for work. 

“I didn’t have any last night remember?” SpongeBob replied. “Out of the way, I’m going to be sick.”

SpongeBob leapt out of bed and staggered to the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet. 

Squidward came into the bathroom and rubbed his partner’s back, trying his best to comfort him. He’d been here before, except he’d always been hunched over the commode due to the consumption of far too much rum. 

“Why don’t you just go lay down,” Squidward said. “I’ll bring you some tea.”

“Even tea sounds awful,” SpongeBob gagged again. “Just some water please.”

Squidward left the restroom and went downstairs to fetch his partner a large jug of water. He knew the sponge needed to stay hydrated today if he had a stomach bug. 

When he returned, SpongeBob had already crawled back into bed. 

“Thank you sweetie,” SpongeBob grabbed the water and took a sip. “I’m going to lay here today, I must have eaten something icky.” 

“At least you have the day off,” Squidward said. “I know you wanted to go jellyfishing, but there’s always tomorrow.”

“Very true,” SpongeBob set the jug on the nightstand. 

“Do you need me to stay home?” Squidward asked.

“No honey,” SpongeBob really did want him too. “I know Mr. Krabs is counting on you.”

“Very well,” Squidward gave his lover a kiss on the forehead. “Just call if you need anything. Love you.”

“Love you too.” SpongeBob said snuggling back under the covers. 

As SpongeBob laid there he struggled to get comfortable. No amount of tossing and turning would help and even when he did find a position that was slightly more comfortable than the other, he’d have to get back up to throw up again. 

Around mid-day, SpongeBob had had enough of this and picked up the phone to call the doctor. 

“Hello, can I please speak to Dr. Tidalwave?” SpongeBob asked. “Yes, I can hold.” 

Minutes ticked by as SpongeBob waited for the doctor to come to the phone. During that time, the sponge started having a sickening thought. Could he be pregnant again? It didn’t seem likely since he had an IOD, an intraosculum device, placed so that wouldn’t happen. 

“Hello Mr. SquarePants,” the doctor said. 

“Hi doc,” SpongeBob couldn’t shake his worry. “I’m not feeling very good. My body hurts, my head pounds, and I’ve been dry heaving all morning. All I can keep down is water.” 

“Could it be food poisoning?” the doctor asked. “Or did you have too much to drink possibly?” 

“No it can’t be food poisoning,” SpongeBob replied. “I filter just about everything out in a few hours, so if it was, I still shouldn’t be sick. And no, I didn’t drink anything or eat any ice cream.” 

“Hmmm,” Dr. Tidalwave could almost be heard scratching his chin. “Well it could be just a bug, these things happen.” 

“But I filter that stuff out too,” SpongeBob was really worried now. “C-C-Could I be pregnant?” 

“Possibly,” the doctor could be heard typing. “Your chart says you have an IOD though, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” SpongeBob felt a certain bit of relief saying that out loud. 

“Well those are nearly 100% effective,” the doctor was typing something again. “I mean they really are 100% effective, but for legal purposes that can’t be marketed like that. It’s probably just a nasty bug. Try taking it easy and if you’re not feeling better in the morning, come in and see me.”

“Thank you doc,” SpongeBob hung up the phone. 

Even though his doctor had reassured him that he couldn’t be pregnant, he still had a weird feeling that he was. He tried hard to suppress it, but no matter what he did, it kept creeping back into his thoughts. By around three in the afternoon, he couldn’t take it anymore. 

He dug through the medicine cabinet until he found an unused pregnancy test from when he’d had Claire. It was a bit past its expiration date, but the sponge figured it was better than nothing since Squidward had the boat at work. 

SpongeBob carefully opened the box and looked at the instructions. He then laid on the bathroom floor with his legs in the air and gently inserted the probe into his oscula. 

“Just one minute,” SpongeBob let out a sigh. “Then I’ll know.”

He laid there for what felt like an eternity, especially since the device inside of him was anything but comfortable. After what he assumed was a minute, he reached down and removed the probe, causing him to wince with pain. 

SpongeBob held his breath, afraid to look at the little screen. He knew he had to, but felt like he was going to pass out. With a trembling hand though, he brought the device up to his closed eyes. Drawing in another big breath, he opened them and immediately burst into tears. 

It was positive.


	3. Unexpected News

The next day, the pair made their way to the doctor’s office. SpongeBob was beyond nervous and Squidward was doing his best to maintain his composure. It was difficult but he knew that SpongeBob was leaning on him to be the rock and he was bound and determined to be the biggest rock he could be. 

“Well hello Mr. SquarePants,” Dr. Tidalwave said. “Still not feeling good?” 

“No,” SpongeBob said quietly.

“Well what’s going on?” the doctor asked. 

SpongeBob didn’t answer, he just sat on the exam table staring at the floor. He was afraid to speak the words out loud for some reason and looked like he was about to cry again. 

“He took a pregnancy test doc,” Squidward spoke up realizing the situation. “It came back positive, but it was over it’s expiration date so we’re not sure if it’s correct or not. Also, SpongeBob has a IED so we’re not sure how it’s even possible.”

“IOD, an IED is an explosive,” Dr. Tidalwave chuckled. “But sure, let’s do a quick test and see shall we?” 

A nurse entered the room and inserted another probe into SpongeBob and clipped a tiny piece of skin from his body. Since sponge’s didn’t have blood, the normal tests weren’t exactly helpful, but thanks to advanced undersea science they had the means to give accurate results to all creatures. 

The nurse put the clipping in a test tube and removed the probe. She told them to sit tight and that she’d run the tests, then either her or Dr. Tidalwave would come in to let them know the results. 

The wait was agony for SpongeBob. He knew what the outcome would be of course, the test he’d done at home was probably right. Still, maybe somewhere in the great big ocean there was a slim chance that the test was wrong and this whole scare was for nothing. 

“Well congratulations,” Dr. Tidalwave entered the room after ten minutes. “Looks like you’re going to be parents again.” 

SpongeBob broke down crying and screaming. He didn’t want to be pregnant, he didn’t want to go through all of the pain again, the sleepless nights, the torn skin, the relationship problems with Squidward, none of it. 

“Can you give us a minute doc?” Squidward asked. 

“Sure, I’ll go see the next patient then come back in so we can do a full exam,” the doctor said, then left the room. 

“SpongeBob,” Squidward held his partner close. “It’s going to be ok.” 

“But what about all our plans?” SpongeBob cried. 

“What plans?” Squidward had to laugh. “Our plan is to have a family, nothing more...unless you consider working for Mr. Krabs for the rest of our lives a plan.” 

“I know,” SpongeBob sniffled. “I’m just not ready for this and I’m scared.”

“I’m scared too, but we’re in this together!” Squidward gave his partner a kiss on the cheek. 

“Do you mean that?” SpongeBob asked. 

“With all of my hearts,” Squidward replied. “Now let’s take a deep breath and hear what the doctor has to say. We need to make sure you’re healthy and that there aren’t any issues due to your coma.”

There was a knock at the door and Dr. Tidalwave entered the room again.

“Feeling better?” the doctor asked. 

“I think so,” SpongeBob’s eyes were red and puffy from crying, but the tears had ceased for the time being. 

“Alright then,” Dr. Tidalwave flashed a smile. “Let’s check you out then.” 

Thirty minutes later and after a bunch of poking and prodding, SpongeBob had confirmation that everything seemed good on the surface. He also found out that based on the ultrasound, he’d be due in roughly 10 days time, which caused both him and Squidward to gulp loudly. They had a ton to do and not much time to do it. 

After leaving the appointment, they drove home in silence trying to process everything. Squidward wanted to comfort his partner so bad, but knew the sponge needed some time to figure everything out on his own. 

SpongeBob would also just put up a front if the octopus nagged him too much about it too. While the sponge was pretty open with his partner, Squidward knew when to push for more information and when not too. If he tried too hard, the SpongeBob would resort back to acting cheerful and like nothing was wrong. 

They pulled into the driveway and both climbed out of the boat. SpongeBob shuffled his way slowly to the door as Squidward looked on. He didn’t know what to say, but felt like he needed to say something since seeing his lover like this was killing him. 

“Come on sweetie,” Squidward broke the silence. “How about I make you some lunch and we sit together on the couch. We can watch a movie since Claire won’t be home for a couple of hours.”

“I think I’m just going to go lay in bed,” SpongeBob said meekly. 

“Ok,” Squidward hung his head. “If you need anything, anything at all you let me know. I’m here for you.” 

“I know,” SpongeBob replied. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Squidward felt a lump in his throat. “So very much.”


	4. Not Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief waring for this chapter:
> 
> The following chapter deals with the loss of a pregnancy and something I drew on from my own personal experiences.

“Oh Neptune,” SpongeBob cried out, jolting Squidward out of a sound sleep. The octopus fumbled with the covers and looked over at his wailing partner. 

“What’s the matter?” Squidward was trying to wake up. “Are you ok? Bad dream?”

“No...oh fuck” SpongeBob groaned out. “My insides...owwww…..oh Neptune.” 

“SpongeBob?” Squidward was shocked at the expletive. “What do you mean you’re insides? Is the baby coming?” 

“I don’t know,” SpongeBob said through gritted teeth and then howled out in pain again. 

“Ok...uhhhh,” Squidward looked around the room, he didn’t know what to do. “Let’s get you dressed, I’ll call your mom to get her here to stay with Claire so we can go to the hospital.”

SpongeBob didn’t answer, he just groaned and fell back on the bed, writhing in agony. 

“Shit,” Squidward said, hanging up the phone. “Your mom can’t be here for nearly an hour, I’m going to call Sandy.”

Squidward put the phone on speaker and was dashing around the room trying to throw a bag together and find some clothes for him and SpongeBob to wear. Thankfully Sandy picked up and agreed to be over to the pineapple in a few minutes. 

“Come on sweetie,” Squidward tried to help SpongeBob to his feet, but the sponge screamed again and clutched his midsection. 

There was a knock at the door and Squidward raced downstairs to open, seeing Sandy with a worried look on her face. 

“What’s the problem?” Sandy asked the panic octopus. “Why do y’all need to go to the hospital?” 

“It’s SpongeBob,” Squidward said in a frenzy. “He’s in horrible pain, I don’t know if he can even make the trip there without passing out.” 

“Let’s get 'em downstairs.” Sandy said and followed Squidward up to their bedroom. 

When they opened the door, it was a horror show. There was a weird, viscous fluid all over the bed and flowing out of SpongeBob’s oscula. The sponge was rocking back and forth, tears running down his face and his once yellow skin was nearly white. 

Sandy and Squidward quickly picked up SpongeBob, who moaned as they carried him downstairs. They quickly placed him in the back seat of the boat and did the best they could of getting him belted in for the trip to the hospital. 

“I’ll bring y’all’s stuff once Sponge’s mama gets ‘ere,” Sandy said. 

“I owe you,” Squidward said as he leapt into the driver seat and fired up the engine. 

It took no time at all for Squidward to get to the hospital. His tentacle was glued to the floor as he blew through every stop sign and red light. He never knew that his boat could even perform like this, but it stuck to the road like glue, despite the protest from the screeching tires. 

With a cloud of smoke, Squidward drifted sideways into the hospital’s emergency drive and screamed for help. Two nurses came running out, with another following seconds later with a wheelchair. 

“What’s going on,” one of the nurses asked as the other two plucked the sponge from the backseat. 

“He just woke up screaming,” Squidward was frazzled. “He said something about his insides, then he was leaking this weird fluid everywhere. He’s pregnant too.”

“Quick get the doctor,” the nurse screamed out loud, then turned back to Squidward. “Who’s his doctor?”

“Tidalwave, I don’t know his first name,” Squidward replied. 

“Get Franklin on the phone stat,” the nurse yelled out.

“Franklin?” Squidward didn’t know who that was.

“Dr. Tidalwave,” the nurse replied. “Come with us, we need to get the sponge into trauma right away.”

“Trauma!?!” Squidward’s voice raised several octaves. “Is he dying?”

“No,” was all the nurse replied. 

Squidward followed them back to a room and the nurses got SpongeBob situated on the bed. They then started an IV and administered a sedative to calm down the screaming sponge. Squidward just looked on and cried, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his love again, not after the coma. 

Sometime later, a jovial looking fish came into the room.

“Hello, Mr.?” the doctor said, extending a fin. 

“Squidward,” the octopus replied. “I’m SpongeBob’s husband.”

“Ah Mr. Squidward,” the doctor shook his tentacle. “I’m Dr. Riptide, Franklin Tidalwave’s associate. I’m on call tonight and Franklin will be here as soon as he can.”

“So what’s going on?” Squidward was nervous.

“I’m not sure just yet,” the doctor walked over to SpongeBob and began to examine him. “The nurse says that he’s pregnant? Is this his first?”

“Second,” Squidward replied. “We have a daughter at home.” 

“Was he like this last pregnancy?” the doctor pressed on the sponge’s abdomen. 

“No,” Squidward fiddled with his tentacles. “At least not that I saw, but we weren’t really living together at the time.” 

“Have you noticed any fluid?” Dr. Riptide’s fins were going over every inch of the unconscious sponge. “Also, any history of prior trauma?”

“Yes there was fluid all over the bed,” Squidward replied. “And yes, he was in a coma for nearly six months after that plane crash at the airport.” 

A nurse rolled in an ultrasound machine and the two of them set to work checking SpongeBob’s abdomen. Several minutes later, the doctor turned to the nurse with a somber expression on his face. Somehow without even saying anything, Squidward knew exactly what had happened.

“It was a miscarriage wasn’t it?” Squidward asked, tears forming in his eyes. 

“I’m afraid so,” Dr. Riptide replied. “Thankfully, SpongeBob’s vitals seem to be doing OK so there’s no risk to him right now. We do need to perform emergency surgery though, but given that Mr. SquarePants is a sponge, it shouldn’t take very much time at all. I’m sorry.” 

“Y-you m-mean?” Squidward had tears rolling down his face. “You mean…”

The nurse hugged Squidward and let him bawl on her shoulder. There wasn’t much else anyone could do at this point and despite losing the baby, at least SpongeBob was alive and in no real danger. It still hurt though, hurt more than Squidward ever thought was possible. 

The nurse led Squidward out to the waiting room, where a very worried Margaret SquarePants was waiting. 

“Squiddy,” she leapt up and ran over to the sobbing octopus. “What’s going on? And don’t worry, Sandy is at home with Claire.”

“It was a miscarriage,” Squidward said through his tears. “SpongeBob is ok, physically at least, I have no idea how he’ll do mentally since he’s sedated right now due to the pain.”

“Oh honey,” Margaret gave Squidward a hug. “I’m so sorry, I know exactly what this feels like.” 

“You do?” Squidward sniffled.

“Yes,” Margaret felt a tear in her own eye. “After SpongeBob came along, Harold and I tried for number two, but I had three miscarriages in a row. We just stopped after that because we couldn’t handle the loss anymore.” 

“That explains why SpongeBob was so afraid,” Squidward said. “He never told me about this.” 

“It wasn’t an easy subject for our family,” Margaret replied. “SpongeBob wanted a brother or sister so bad and was heartbroken when he found out he was going to be only child.” 

“Maybe you should be there when he wakes up?” Squidward said. 

“No sweetie,” Margaret looked at Squidward. “You should be there. He might want his mom, but he needs his husband, just like I needed my husband. You’ve been so good to my little Spongy and I know you’re going to do everything to help him, even if it hurts you in the process. You’re a good man, and I’m proud that you’re my son-in-law.”

“Thank you Margaret,” Squidward didn’t even try to hold back the flood of tears. He knew that SpongeBob’s parents liked him, but he never really heard either of them say it until now. It was exactly what he needed at a time like this. 

“Anytime my sweet Squiddy,” Margaret hugged him. “Now let’s try to distract ourselves with something until Spongy is out of surgery?”


	5. How to Deal with Tragedy

While the procedure was relatively quick, Squidward sat in the wait room for what felt like eons. He paced around while Margaret did her best to keep him calm. Still this was the second time in a year that SpongeBob had needed emergency medical intervention. 

“Mr. Squidward?” a nurse came out into the waiting room. 

“Yes,” Squidward bolted up out of the chair and hurried over to the nurse. “Is SpongeBob ok? Is he out of surgery? Can I see him?”

“Relax honey,” the nurse placed a fin on Squidward’s shoulder. “Yes, Mr. SquarePants is out of surgery, everything went fine, and you can go see him.” 

“Ok thank Neptune,” Squidward breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Can Margaret come back as well, she’s his mother.” 

“No Squiddy,” Margaret interjected. “You need to be there, I’ll come back in a little bit so you can go home and get some rest.” 

“Follow me,” the nurse motioned to Squidward. They two set off through a set of locked doors and down a hallway before arriving at a dark room. 

Squidward thanked the nurse and walked silently into the room as to know disturb his sleeping partner. However, SpongeBob wasn’t asleep, he was wide awake and laying on the best staring at the ceiling. 

“Squidward?” SpongeBob’s voice sounds crackly like he’d been crying. 

“I’m here my love,” Squidward rested a tentacle on the sponge. 

“Do you know what happened?” SpongeBob sniffled. 

“Yes,” Squidward choked back tears of his own. “The doctor told me. I’m so sorry sweetheart.” 

“This is my fault,” SpongeBob replied. “I didn’t want to be pregnant and my body reacted by getting rid of the baby. I killed our child.”

“D-don’t talk like that,” Squidward felt a tear roll down his face. “There are a bunch of reasons miscarriages happen and your mom told me about the...family history.”

“Oh,” SpongeBob whispered. “Still this is my fault.” 

“It’s not,” Squidward pleaded. “The doctor told me it could be any number of things, but it was probably due to your damaged nervous system from being in a coma.”

“I know you’re trying to make me feel better,” SpongeBob was crying again. “You always try so hard to make me happy and I’m just a sad sack of sponge.” 

“You’re not,” Squidward felt himself getting angry. “You’re not a sad sack. You’re the best husband I could ask for and the best daddy in the world for Claire. If you were a sad sack, you’d be neither of those things.”

SpongeBob didn’t answer, just sniffled softly as he went back to being lost in his thoughts. Squidward didn’t know what else to do, so he rolled over a chair and then reached out a tentacle to grab his partner’s hand. There was nothing at first, but seconds later he felt the sponge’s hand grab him.

“Mr. SquarePants?” there was a knock at the door and Dr. Tidalwave entered the room. 

“Yes doctor,” SpongeBob said through the tears. 

“I’m glad you’re awake,” the doctor said. “Do you feel well enough to talk right now?” 

“I guess,” SpongeBob didn’t but he didn’t know if he’d ever be in the mood to talk and just wanted to get it out of the way. 

“So I’m sure you know that you had a miscarriage,” Dr. Tidalwave began. “We did a minor procedure to get everything back to normal so you’ll feel sore for a couple of days. I know this can be difficult, so I’m going to get someone here to help you cope. Also, I want to let you know that the cause of the miscarriage was likely due to your damaged nervous system. When the body suffers trauma like that, it can be years before it’s ready to carry a child again.”

“Is that the truth?” SpongeBob asked. 

“Yes,” the doctor said. “Your body is still trying to repair itself, even if you do see or feel it. It’s dedicating all it’s resources, if you will, to fixing you and when it gets a signal that you’re pregnant, it has to choose what’s best. Unfortunately, it picked your nervous system in this case. I strongly recommend that you do not attempt to have children for at least another year, perhaps longer.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this in the office?” SpongeBob thought back to the doctor's appointment a few days prior. 

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Dr. Tidalwave sounded guilty. “I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t want to tell you in case there was nothing to be concerned about. Plus, all your vitals and everything looked great. “

“Oh,” SpongeBob didn’t know if the doc was being truthful, but what other option did he have? 

“I’ll want you to spend the rest of today and tonight here,” Dr. Tidalwave said. “Then you can go home to rest and recuperate. A therapist will be shortly to help you deal with this tragedy.” 

“Thank you doctor,” SpongeBob squeezed Squidward’s tentacle. 

After the doctor left, SpongeBob and Squidward sat there in silence, however this time the mood in the room was a bit different. SpongeBob seemed to take some comfort in the doctor’s explanation of everything, however deep down he was still blaming himself. 

They stayed like this for nearly an hour with the only interruption coming from a knock at the door. 

“Hi Mr. SquarePants?” a young fish said entering the room. “I’m Lizzy, the therapist. Is this a good time to talk?”

“Yes,” SpongeBob sat up and Squidward reached over to the light, finally turning it on and casting a warm orange glow around the room. 

“So Mr. SquarePants,” Lizzy started. “It looks like you had quite the night. Tell me, how are you feeling?”

“I ache a bit,” SpongeBob replied. 

“No I mean mentally,” Lizzy continued. “Your emotions, how are you coping with everything that happened?” 

“I-I don’t know,” SpongeBob looked down at the bed. “I guess ok...well no...not ok.”

“Tell me what you’re feeling,” Lizzy said in a reassuring voice. 

“I guess I feel responsible for all this,” SpongeBob felt himself starting to tear up. “I didn’t want to be pregnant and this only happened because my IOD fell out. We were taking steps to prevent all this and while we love our little Claire, we didn’t want another kid, at least not right now.”

“You’re not responsible for this,” Lizzy said. “I know the chain of events makes it seem like it’s your fault, but really it was just a set of circumstances that led up to this. Sometimes your body just does things we don’t understand.” 

“But what about…” SpongeBob couldn’t form a thought. 

“I think what SpongeBob wants to say,” Squidward sensed his partner’s struggle. “Is that he feels responsible because he...ummm….got a sex toy for our anniversary that caused the IOD to fall out and for all this to happen. Is that right sweetie?”

SpongeBob nodded, tears rolling down his face. 

“Look at it this way,” Lizzy was trying to figure out how to phrase this. “Any number of things could’ve happened that night. But ask yourself this, did you both enjoy your time mating? Was it meaningful?”

“It was wonderful,” SpongeBob spoke up. 

“Then you should remember that,” Lizzy replied. “Think of it as something beautiful you two shared instead of the point where all these events may have originated from.”

“That makes sense,” SpongeBob didn’t know if it did or not, but it sounded like it was the right thing to say.

The three of them talked for nearly two hours and by the end of the session SpongeBob was beginning to understand. He still felt awful and like he wanted to cry all the time, but at least he could rationalize why he felt like that. 

“Ok sweetie,” SpongeBob said after Lizzy left. “Why don’t you get some rest? My mom will stay with me.”

“Are you sure?” Squidward didn’t want to leave his partner. 

“Yes,” SpongeBob gave a slight smile. “We have a beautiful daughter at home that needs her dad. Go and be with her.” 

“You’re right,” Squidward returned the smile. “While the past 12 or so hours have been awful, one thing we can be thankful for is that we do have a lovely little girl at home. I’ll see you tomorrow, I love you.”

“I love you too,” SpongeBob then rolled over and shut his eyes to get some much needed sleep.


End file.
